Piston groove cleaner



June 6, 1967 s. KYSER 3,323,161

PISTON GROOVE CLEANER Filed Sept. 3, 1965 Z; Sheets-Sheet 5 F/GI/INVENTOR. SM/TH K7557? ATTORNEYS.

June 6,1967 s. KYSER 3,323,161

PISTON GROOVE CLEANER Filed Sept. 5, 1965 5 sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEYS.

PI STON GROOVE CLEANER Filed Sept. {5, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 /0 2/4 7l6" 4 244 v a ma 7a INVENTOR.

SMITH KVSER ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent 3,323,161 PISTON GROOVE CLEANER Smith Kyser, loniaCounty, Mich., assignor to Aircraft Specialties, Inc, Lapeer, Micln, acorporation of Delaware Filed Sept. 3, 1965, Ser. No. 484,863 12 Claims.(Cl. 15-40401) This invention relates to a piston groove cleaner, andmore particularly, to a device for cleaning the grooves of pistons oninternal combustion engines.

There are numerous devices now in use for cleaning the grooves ofpistons. However, these devices possess a number of shortcomings. One ofthese shortcomings is that it is necessary to engage the piston groovewith guide means while the groove is also engaged by the cleaning tool.These guide means have a tendency to cause flaring of the side walls inthe groove.

Another shortcoming of present piston groove cleaners is that they areonly adapted to cover a very narrow range of diameters of pistons. Thus,it is necessary to supply a series of piston groove cleaners in order toinsure that a wide range of piston diameters can be cleaned.Additionally, the cutting or cleaning tools of the present piston groovecleaners are permanently secured in place. In many cases it is necessaryto supply a separate piston groove cleaner for every width of pistongroove.

The piston groove cleaner of this invention overcomes all of theaforementioned problems of the prior art piston groove cleaners.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a novel pistongroove cleaner.

It is another object of this invention to provide a piston groovecleaner which requires only the engagement of the cleaning tool withinthe piston groove.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a piston groovecleaner which is adapted to be used on a large range of diameters ofpistons.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a piston groovecleaner with removable tools which can be used for accommodating allknown widths of piston grooves.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a piston groovecleaner with a lever which is adapted to quickly release the cleaningtool from a piston and quickly secure the tool in another piston or inanother groove of the same piston.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a piston groovecleaner which includes a tension band which is finely adjustable foraccommodating various diameters of pistons.

These and other objects of this invention are accomplished by providinga piston groove cleaner comprising a handle, a cleaning tool secured tosaid handle, a tension band associated with said handle and adapted tosecure a piston against said cleaning tool, means for adjusting thetension on said band, and lever means for quickly releasing the tensionon said band.

ther objects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention willbe readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood byreference to the following detailed description when considered inconnection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the piston groove cleaner of thisinvention, with a piston shown in phantom;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line 2-2 of FIG. 1,and showing the engagement of the cleaning tool within the pistongroove;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

3,323,161 Patented June 6, 1967 FIG. 4 is an enlarged plan view of theratchet mechanism of the piston groove cleaner of this invention;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged plan view of the releasing lever of the pistongroove cleaner of this invention;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional View taken along the line 6-6 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a plan view of an alternate embodiment of the inventionshowing the engagement of the cleaning tool with the piston shown inphantom;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged plan view of the handle, the ratchet mechanism,and the releasing lever of the alternate embodiment of the inventionwith portions in horizontal section for clarity of detail;

FIG. 9 is anenlarged sectional view taken along the line 99 of FIG. 8;and

FIG. 10 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line 1tl10 of FIG.8.

Referring now in greater detail to the various figures of the drawingswherein similar reference characters refer to similar parts, a pistongroove cleaner embodying the present invention is generally shown at 10in FIG. 1. Device 10 basically comprises a handle 12, a releasing lever14, a tension band 16, and a ratchet mechanism 18.

As best seen in FIG. 2, handle 12 is basically U-shaped and includesparallel legs 20 and an integral bridging section 22 lowermost. The openends of legs 20 include integral divergent walls 24 which extendoutwardly at approximately 45 angles to legs 20. A saddle 26 is securedto walls 24 by rivets 28. As seen in FIG. 2, saddle 26 is counterboredto have the heads of the rivets flush with the balance of the outersurface of the saddle. As seen in FIG. 3, saddle 26 includes a centralopening 30 which extends downwardly from the top thereof. As will beexplained hereinafter, opening 30 is provided to permit the insertion ofa cleaning tool through the saddle. Referring again to FIG. 2 it is seenthat saddle 26 is basically V- shaped with a rounded vertex and hasrounded ends 32 which project toward handle 12.

Handle 12 further includes a tool holder 34 mounted therein. Tool holder34 is also basically U-shaped and includes parallel legs 36 and abridging section 38 lowermost. One of the legs 36 includes an inclinedflange 46 at the end thereof. As best seen in FIGS. 3 and 6, flange 40includes a pair of spaced inwardly projecting fingers 42. Fingers 42extend perpendicularly to flange 40, and in addition, are inclined at 45angles and are in planes which are perpendicular to each other. Acutting or cleanin g tool 44 is secured to flange 46 by bolt 46 andassociated thumb nut 48. Bolt 46 passes through a hole in flange 40 andis secured in place by a pressed fit. Thumb nut 48 includes a boss 50(FIG. 2) which bears against lateral face 51 of cutting tool 44.

As seen in FIG. 6, cutting tool 44 includes a U-shaped yoke 52 havinginclined, forward walls 54. When secured against flange 4t], walls 54abut fingers 42. An elongated cutting element 56 is integral with yoke52 and projects perpendicularly from the front thereof. Cutting element56 is rectangular in cross section, as seen in FIG. 3.

Cutting tool 44 is secured in place by first loosening thumb nut 48 onbolt 46. Thereafter, the cutting tool is placed in the position shown inFIG. 6. Thumb nut 48 is tightened in order to maintain the secure'mentof the cutting tool. It is thus seen that cutting tool 44 is preventedfrom moving longitudinally by bolt 46 and fingers 42. It is preventedfrom moving laterally by the abutment of boss 50 of thumb nut 48 againstits lateral face 51. Additionally, the tightening of the thumb out wouldinsure against any longitudinal movement if the tolerances between thebolt 46, fingers 42 and yoke 52 are not exact.

As seen in FIG. 2, legs 36 are provided with a pair of aligned holes 58.A pin 60 having a threaded end 62 "ice passes through aligned holes 58.A sleeve 64 is telescoped over pin 60 and abuts the interior surfaces oflegs 36. A pair of aligned slots 66 (FIGS. 1 and 2) is formed in legs20. Pin 60 is longitudinally slidable in slots 66. The head 68 of pin 60is of a sufiiciently large diameter to prevent its passing through slots66. A thumb nut 70 having a boss 72 and an associated washer 74 issecured on the threaded end 62 of pin 60. Washer 74 is also of asufficiently large diameter to prevent its passing through slots 66.

A bolt 76 is rotatably mounted in bridging section 22 of handle 12 andis threadedly secured in bridging section 38 of tool holder 34. The head78 of bolt 76 comprises a thumb nut and includes an associated boss 80.Bolt 76 is rotatably mounted in bridging section 22 by providing areduced diameter portion 81 which is unthreaded. In assembly, thethreaded portion of :bolt 76 includes a central bore. The combination ofnut 78, boss 80 and reduced portion 81 is first passed through a hole inbridging section 22 and secured in the hollow bore of threaded portion76 by a pressed fit. The abutment of boss 80 and the lower edge ofthreaded section 76 against bridging section 22 maintains the bolt inplace. The threads on bridging section 38 are complementary to threads76.

Adjustment ratchet assembly 18 is best seen in FIGS. 2 and 4. Thisassembly includes a U-shaped bracket 82 having a top face 84, a bottomface 86 and an integral bridging section forming a rear face 88 (FIGS. 3and 4). Bridging section 88 is sandwiched between one wall 24 and saddle26 and secured in place by rivets 28 (FIG. 2). A hollow tube 90 passestransversely through top and bottom faces 84 and 86 respectively and isrotatably mounted in said faces. As seen in FIG. 3, tube 90 projectsthrough the bottom of face 86 and is secured in place by a collar 92which is maintained in an annular groove on the exterior surface of tube90. Collar 92 is made of spring steel and is split at one end in orderthat it can be forced over the tube and be engaged in the annular grooveformed adjacent the end of the tube. This collar has an outer diameterwhich is larger than the opening through which tube 90 passes.

The tension band 16 is wound as a coil around tube 90 and is maintainedbetween the faces 84 and 86. Washers 94 space the tension band 16 fromfaces 84 and 86. Tension band 16 is secured to the tube by rivet 96(FIG. 2). A tension clip 98 (FIG. 2) passes around the round coil oftension band 16. Tension clip 98 is unitary and includes a U-shaped end100 and arcuately disposed walls. The U-shaped end is telescoped over apin 102 which passes through upper and lower faces 84 and 86. The lowerend of pin 102 is secured in place by a collar similar to collar 92which is maintained in an annular groove adjacent the end of pin 102.The upper end of the pin is maintained in place by enlarged head 104.Tension clip 98 has sufficient resiliency to expand or contract as thecoil of tension band 16 increases and decreases when it is wound aroundtube 90. Without clip 98, the rotation of the ratchet assembly in acounterclockwise direction would cause only an unravelling of the coil.That is, instead of the band 16 being made larger, the diameter of thecoil of the tension band within the ratchet would increase therebytaking up the extra length of band. The tension clip 98 prevents thisoccurrence by keeping the coil tightly wrapped.

A ratchet wheel 106 is secured on the top of tube 90 by -a pressed fit.As seen in FIG. 3, the ratchet wheel abuts the top of plate 84 and incombination with collar 92 restrains transverse movement of tube 90 withrespect to faces 84 and 86, thereby maintaining tube 90 in place.Ratchet wheel 106 includes ratchet teeth 108 along the entire outercircumference thereof. For the purpose of clarity, only a portion of theratchet teeth has been shown in FIG. 4.

A pawl 110 is pivotably mounted on the top face 84 by pin 102 and isheld in place by enlarged head 104 of the pin. Pawl includes a lever arm112. Pawl 110 is maintained in locking engagement with ratchet teeth 108(FIG. 4) by means of spring 114. Spring 114 includes a central portion116 which is telescoped over pin 102 and positioned against theunderside of plate 84. Spring 114 further includes a first arm 118having a loop 120 which is hooked over the edge of plate 84. Spring 114further includes a second arm 122 which has a loop 124 which is hookedover pawl 110. The normal tendency of the spring is for arms 118 and 122to diverge. Therefore, in the position shown in FIG. 4, the spring urgespawl 110 into ratchet teeth 108.

The top of tube 90' is provided with a transverse groove 126. Thepurpose of this groove is to receive a winding key 128 (FIG. 1). Key 128includes a T-shaped end 130. It is thus seen in FIG. 1 that the leg of T130 will pass into the center of tube 90 and the arms of the T will bereceived in slot 126. Rotation of the key in a clockwise direction willtighten the tension band 16. Rotation of the key in a counterclockwisedirection is prevented by pawl 110 and ratchet 106 unless they aredisengaged.

The releasable lever assembly 14 is best shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 5. Thisassembly includes a U-shaped bracket 132 having a top plate 134, abottom plate- 136 and an integral bridging section 138 (FIG. 2). As seenin FIG. 2, bridging section 138 is sandwiched between wall 24 of handle12 and saddle 26, and is secured in place by rivets 28. A lever arm 140is pivotally secured to bracket 132 by pin 142 having an enlarged head144 (FIG. 1). The other end of pin 142 is secured in place by a springcollar 143 engaged in an annular groove of the pin adjacent itslowermost end. It is to be understood, however, that whenever -a pin isused with a collar at one end, a rivet having two flattened heads canalso be used. Thus, the only necessity is that the pin be secured inplace by some means known in the art.

Lever arm 140 includes a top leg 146, a bottom leg 148 and an integralbridging section perpendicular thereto (FIGS. 1 and 3). As seen in FIG.3, top and bottom legs 146 and 148 abut the inner faces of plates 134and 136, respectively. Bridging section 150 includes an outwardly flareda-rcuate lip 152 to aid in grasping the lever arm 140. As best seen inFIGS. 1 and 2, lever arm 140 is pivot-able around pin 142.

A pawl 154 is pivotably mounted on the upper surface of top leg 146about pin 156. Pin 156 passes through top leg 146 and bottom leg 148 andis secured against longitudinal movement by an enlarged head 158 at itsupper end and at its other end by a spring collar engaged in an annulargroove in the pin. The head 158 also restrains transverse movement ofpawl 154 with respect to pin 156. The flat leading edge or shoulder 160of pawl 154 is urged against the cam surface 162 of top plate 134 byspring 164. Spring 164 includes an integral L-shaped portion 166 at oneend which passes through opening 168 in pawl 154. As seen in FIG. 5, theend leg of L-shaped portion 166 loops over the upper surf-ace of thepawl 154 to secure the spring to the pawl. At the other end of spring164 is a U-shaped loop 170 which passes through opening 172 in top leg146 to secure the spring 164 thereto. The spring is bowed at itsintermediate portion 174 so that its normal tendency is to straightenout and it thereby imparts a clockwise force to pawl 154 about pin 156.A cylindrically shaped upwardly extending stop pin 175 secured to thetop surface of upper leg 146 adjacent pin 156 limits thecounterclockwise movement of pawl 154.

A split collar 176 having a cylindrically shaped web 178 and a pair ofintegral spaced rectangularly shaped legs 180 is telescoped over pin 156with web 178 embracing pin 156. The end of tension band 16 is securedwithin the legs 180 of collar 176 by a rivet 182 as seen in FIG. 2.

Lever arm 140 is thereby operatively connected to tension band 16 topull or withdraw it.

The cam surface 162 of top plate 134 includes a pair of notches 186 and188 which are provided to lock lever arm 140 in either of twopredetermined positions. Notch 186 is preferably used for pistons withan outer diameter of from 2" to 4" and notch 188 is used for pistonshaving an outer diameter of from 4 to The device of this invention isused by first removing a dirty piston 190 from its cylinder and removingthe piston rings. Thereafter the piston is mounted in a vice or otherlocking device to prevent movement or rotation thereof. The tension bandis expanded to a diameter large enough to accommodate the piston byrotating pawl 110 in the direction of arrow 191 (FIG. 4) and pulling thetension band outwardly. The tension band is thus spaced from the saddle26 and is thereafter telescoped over the piston. The cutting element 56is placed in annular groove 192 (FIG. 2) of the piston 190 and the leverarm 140 is rotated in the direction of arrow 193 (FIG. 2) until the pawl154 is engaged in the proper notch 186 or 188 in accordance with thediameter of the piston, as will be explained hereinafter. The key 128 isrotated clockwise until suitable tension is provided by tension band 16to secured piston'190 within the saddle with the inner surface 194 ofthe groove bearing against the cutting element 56. The spring mountedpawl is freely pivoted by ratchet teeth 108 during the tightening.Additionally, when the tightening is stopped, the pawl engages the teeth108 to lock the tension band in its final position. The key 128 may nowbe removed because the cleaning device is properly set for the remaininggrooves on the piston as well as the remaining pistons of the set or ofsimilar size. The handle 12 is then rotated in the direction of arrow195 thereby enabling cutting element 56 to clean out the piston grooveas its cutting edge 196 bears against the inner wall 194 of the groove.

It should be noted that the height of the cutting element 56 used isdependent on the height of groove 192. The height of the element is justslightly smaller in order to frictionally fit in the groove. If thegrooce' is of greater depth than the exposed portion of cutting element56, the thumb nut 70 is loosened, thumb nut 78 is rotated, therebyadvancing tool holder 34 and the cutting element secured therein, andthumb nut 70 is again tightened to secure tool holder 34 in place.

To remove the piston groove cleaner from the piston, pawl 154 is rotatedin the direction of arrow 197 (FIGS. 1 and 5) to free the pawl from thenotch 186 or 188, as the case may be, and lever arm 140 is rotated inthe di rection of arrow 198 (FIGS. 1 and 2). The tension band is nowsufficiently large to remove the device from the cleaned piston.

If there are additional grooves on the piston which need cleaning, it isnecessary only to insert cutting element 56 into the next groove androtate lever 140 in the direction of arrow 193 until the pawl 154 islocked in the appropriate notch. As long as the size of the piston andthe grooves does not change no further adjustments need be made with thekey 128 or with the adjusting nuts 70 and 78. Thus an entire set ofpiston grooves may be cleaned easily without repetitive manipulationswhich are time consuming.

The notches 186 and 188 are provided to prevent the tension band 16 frombending and ultimately breaking when using the device with a piston ofsmall diameter. Thus, if the device were used on a two to four inchdiameter piston and the pawl 154 were engaged in notch 188, there wouldbe a sharp bend in band 16 around end 32 of saddle 26. As seen in FIG.2, there is no bend in the tension band when the pawl 154 is engaged innotch 186. When using pistons of a larger diameter, for instance,diameters of four inches to ten inches, the pawl 154 can be locked innotch 188 without any fear of contact between tension band 16 and end32.

The use of a pair of notches 186 and 188 is purely an optional feature.Thus, the device could work equally well if a single notch were usedwhich would be in a position generally shown for the notch 186.

An alternate embodiment of the invention is generally shown at 200 inFIGS. 7 to 10. There are two modifications in the device 200, which isotherwise similar to the device 10 shown in FIGS. 1 to 6. Thus, thelever mechansim 202 and the tool holder 204 and the cutting element aremodified from the corresponding elements in device 10. The levermechanism 202 includes a modification in the U-shaped bracket and theend of the saddle. The top plate 206 of U-shaped bracket 208 includes asurface 210 with a single notch 212, as distinguished from the pair ofnotches in top plate 134 of device 10. To accommodate the single lockingposition of the lever mechanism, a roller assembly 214 is provided atthe end of the saddle 216.

As seen in FIG. 10, the assembly 214 is comprised of a U-shaped bracket218 having a pair of spaced parallel legs 220 and a rectangularly shapedintegral bridging section 222, which is also integral with the saddle216. Saddle 216 is otherwise similar to saddle 26 in the firstembodiment. Legs 220 are each perpendicular to the bridging section 222and each has a hole 224, which holes are aligned with respect to eachother. A cylindrical roller 226 is mounted on pin 228 which extendstransversely through each of holes 224 in legs 220. The cylindricalroller 226, which has a longitudinal bore, is telescoped over pin 228and they are press fitted together. The roller is slightly shorter thanthe space between legs 228 thereby maintaining the pin and roller inbracket 218. The roller 226 freely rotates in bracket 218.

The roller assembly is provided to prevent the tension band 16 frombending and ultimately breaking when using the device with a piston ofsmall diameter. That is, if roller assembly 214 were not provided and asmall diameter piston were inserted in the instant device, the tensionband 16 would be drawn over the end of saddle 216 adjacent the levermechanism which would cause the band to be bent at a sharp angle. Thiswould cause undue strain at the point of bending and might causepremature rupturing of the band at that spot. The roller mechanism 214enables the device to accept small diameter pistons while obviating anypossibility of rupture. Thus the roller assembly obviates the necessityof having the pair of notches 186 and 188.

It is to be understood that the roller assembly may also be comprised ofa pair of pins inserted in the ends of a cylindrical roller. The use ofa single pin is by way of example only, and is not intended to be alimiting feature.

The keeper 204 for the cutting element is comprised of a splitrectangularly shaped bracket 230 which is integral with tool holder 34and is comprised of a pair of spaced parallel rectangularly shaped sidewalls 232 and 234, a pair of rectangularly shaped spaced parallel endwalls 236 and 238, and a rectangular filange 240 which is integral withend wall 238. Longitudinal wall 232 is integral with the leg 36 ofbracket 24 and is inclined inwardly therefrom towards the center ofhandle 12. End wall 236 which is adjacent the saddle 216 is integralwith longitudinal walls 232 and 234 and includes a square slot 242.Cutting element 244 passes through slot 242.

As seen in FIG. 9, longitudinal wall 234 includes a threaded hole whichsecures a bolt 246. The thread of bolt 246 is complementary to that ofthe threads in the hole in longitudinal section 234. The bolt 246 ispress fitted in a central bore of thumb nut 248. End wall 238 isintegral with longitudinal wall 234 and rectangular flange 240. Therectangular flange 240 is welded to the leg 36 as at 249 by spotwelding. The bracket further includes a pin 250 which is locatedcentrally on the longitudinal wall 232 on the inner surface thereof, thepurpose of which will hereinafter appear.

The elongated, rectangular cross-sectional cutting element 244 ispreferably made from square stock. The cutting element 244 is insertedWithin slot 242. A recess 252 is provided on two of the longitudinalfaces of the cutting element and is adapted to fit over pin 250. Thiscombination of the pin and recess facilitates alignment of the cuttingelement during insertion. After the recess 252 is aligned and is fittedover the pin 250, the thumb nut 248 is rotated until the bolt 246 bearsupon the surface of the rectangular cutting element 244 and fixes itwithin the keeper, as seen in FIG. 8.

In operation, the alternate embodiment 200 operates in the same manneras the device shown in FIGS. 1 to 6. The lever arm is rotated to itsmost clockwise position as shown in phantom at 140 in FIG. 7. Theadjustment ratchet 18 is turned counterclockwise to further loosen thetension band 16 until the band is sufficiently loose to fit around thepiston. The cutting element 244 is then inserted in the groove 192 ofthe piston 190 and the lever arm 140 is rotated to its mostcounterclockwise position as shown in full line in FIGS. 7 and 8. Key128 is inserted in tube 90 and is rotated until the adjustment ratchetassembly has sufficiently tightened the tension band around the piston90 causing the cutting edge of element 244 to bear against the innersurface of the grooves. Handle 12 is then rotated in the direction ofarrow 254 (FIG. 7) thereby causing the cutting element which bearsagainst the inner, upper and lower surfaces of the groove to clean outthe accumulated material therein.

To remove the device from the piston it is necessary only to rotate pawl154 counterclockwise and release it from the single notch in the topplate 206 thereby releasing lever 140 for clockwise rotation. Thetension is thereby released on the tension band 16 and the piston isthus removed from the device.

The advantages of device are retained in the alternate embodiment andcertain advantages arise from the modifications thereto. The singlenotch may be used for keeping both large and small pistons tight withinthe device. Also the keeper 204 enables simpler cutting tools to be usedtherein. Thus interchangeable square or rectangular cutting elements maybe easily provided.

It should be noted that both cutting tool 44 and cutting tool 244 can bereversed. Thus, either of these cutting tools can be rotated 180 fromthe position shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 8, respectively, to provide a newcutting edge. With respect to cutting tool 244 it is seen that a pair ofrecesses 252 are formed in opposite faces of the cutting tool. Thus,either recess can be placed over pin 250.

In FIG. 8 it is seen that when using small diameter pistons, the tensionband, which is shown in phantom at 16' will pass over roller 226.However, on larger diameter pistons the tension band 16 will becompletely removed from roller 226, and the piston 190 will contact theroller, as seen in FIG. 7.

It is thus seen that the groove cleaner of this invention providesnumerous advantages over the prior art piston groove cleaners. It isreadily adapted to accommodating a large range of piston diameters. Oncethe penetration of the cutting tool and the tension band length havebeen set, they can be maintained without further adjustment for all ofthe pistons in a given engine. The placing and removing of the pistongroove cleaner are accomplished solely by the release and movement oflever arm 140. Having the thumb nut control 78 for cutting tool depthand the ratchet and pawl mechanism for tension band length permits afine degree of adjustment of the device of this invention.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention arepossible in the light of the above teachings. It is therefore to beunderstood that within the scope of the appended claims, the inventionmay be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

What is claimed as the invention is:

1. A groove cleaner for a cylindrical member having annular grooves,said cleaner comprising a handle, a cut- (3 ting element, keeper meansin said handle for securin said cutting element and exposing a portionthereof, a tension band adapted to embrace said cylindrical member andcause said cleaning element to bear against said grooves therein so thatrotation of said handle enables cleaning of said grooves, means forsecuring a first end of said band to said handle and for adjusting thesize of the portion of said band which embraces said members, and levermeans connected to the other end of said band for releasing and lockingsaid band in tension so that insertion and removal of said cylindricalmember is facilitated.

2. The invention of claim 1 wherein said handle is substantially Yshaped and said cutting element is exposed between the arms of saidhandle.

3. The invention of claim 2 wherein said adjusting means is secured atan arm of said handle and is comprised of a roller, said band beingwound upon said roller as a coil, means adapted to rotate said rollerthereby adjusting the length of said band, a tension clip for embracingsaid coil, a ratchet connected to said roller, and a pawl adapted toengage said ratchet so that said roller can be locked at any desiredadjustment.

4. The invention of claim 2 wherein said lever means is secured to anarm of said handle and includes a lever arm connected to said band, saidlever arm being pivotally mounted by a bracket connected to said handle,and locking means comprised of a notched cam surface on said bracket anda pawl pivotally mounted on said lever arm and adapted to be engaged insaid notched surface for locking said lever arm.

5. The invention of claim 4 wherein said notched surface includes aplurality of notches for accommodating a plurality of sizes ofcylindrical members.

6. The invention of claim 4 and further including a roller assemblysecured to said handle adjacent said lever arm, said roller adapted tobear against said tension band thereby preventing rupture thereof.

7. The invention of claim 6 wherein said notched surface includes asingle notch.

8. The invention of claim 2 wherein said keeper means includes arectangular bracket, said bracket having an uppermost wall, said wallhaving a rectangular slot to accommodate the insertion of said cleaningelement, threaded means inserted in a lateral wall of said bracketadapted to bear against said cleaning element in said bracket, a thumbnut operatively connected to said threaded means for adjusting the depthof said insertion and fixedly securing said cleaning element so thatvarious sizes of cleaning elements may be used in said cleaning device.

9. The invention of claim 8 and further including aligning means forsaid keeper comprising a recess in a lateral face of said cleaningelement and a pin on the inner surface of the other of said lateralwalls of said bracket and adapted for insertion in said recess.

10. The invention of claim 9 wherein said cleaning element is comprisedof an elongated rectangular member.

11. The invention of claim 10 wherein said keeper means is slidablymounted in the legs of said handle, and said handle further includes arotatable bolt adapted to move said keeper means so that the exposure ofsaid cleaning element between said arms of said handle may be varied byrotation of said bolt.

12. The invention of claim 2 wherein said keeper means is comprised of abracket slidably mounted in the leg of said handle, a flange connectedto said bracket, a pair of spaced fingers substantially perpendicular tosaid flange, a bolt substantially perpendicular to said flange and athumb nut threadedly engaged thereon, said cleaning element comprisingan elongated rectangular cutting element having a yoke at one endthereof, said cleaning means being fixed in said keeper with theshoulder of said yoke bearing against said fingers and said thumb nutbearing 9 10 against a lateral face of said yoke so that said cutting1,979,767 11/1934 Pawsat 15-104 element passes through said spacedfingers. 3 023 55 3 1 2 Mcnanid 15.404

References Cited CHARLES A WILLMUTH P A E UNITED STATES PATENTS mmme" 1546 7 7 1925 Julian 15 104 5 E. L. ROBERTS, Assistant Examiner.1,644,006 10/1927 Beck 15-104

1. A GROOVE CLEANER FOR A CYLINDRICAL MEMBER HAVING ANNULAR GROOVES,SAID CLEANER COMPRISING A HANDLE, A CUTTING ELEMENT, KEEPER MEANS INSAID HANDLE FOR SECURING SAID CUTTING ELEMENT AND EXPOSING A PORTIONTHEREOF, A TENSION BAND ADAPTED TO EMBRACE SAID CYLINDRICAL MEMBER ANDCAUSE SAID CLEANING ELEMENT TO BEAR AGAINST SAID GROOVES THEREIN SO THATROTATION OF SAID HANDLE ENABLES CLEANING OF SAID GROOVES, MEANS FORSECURING A FIRST END OF SAID BAND TO SAID HANDLE AND FOR ADJUSTING THESIZE OF THE PORTION OF SAID BAND WHICH EMBRACES SAID MEMBERS, AND LEVERMEANS CONNECTED TO THE OTHER END OF SAID BAND FOR RELEASING AND LOCKINGSAID BAND IN TENSION SO THAT INSERTION AND REMOVAL OF SAID CYLINDRICALMEMBER IS FACILITATED.